Rihanna earns her first number 1 album in the U.S. as “Unapologetic” tops “Billboard 200” chart

One week after Rihanna scored her 12th number 1 single on the “Billboard Hot 100” chart with “Diamonds”, the diva earns her very first number 1 album on the “Billboard 200” chart.

Her “Unapologetic” album opens atop the “Billboard 200”, selling 238,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan. The SRP/Def Jam set is her seventh studio release in a little over seven years, and follows six earlier top 10 efforts. Rather infamously, until this week, the diva held the distinction of having the most number 1 songs on the “Hot 100” without having claimed a number 1 album.

“Unapologetic,” released on Monday, November 19, also gives Rihanna her best sales week yet for an album. (The SoundScan tracking week ends at the close of business every Sunday.) The new album’s arrival surpasses her previous best frame, racked when 2010’s “Loud” launched at November 3 with 207,000.

It’s not unprecedented for an artist to score six top 10 albums without having had a number 1. More than 25 acts have lodged six top 10s — without a number 1. They range from Sting (10 top 10s, zero number 1s) and Sheryl Crow (eight top 10s) to Brad Paisley (seven top 10s) and Rush (12 top 10s).

Rihanna’s lack of a number 1 album only seemed to draw more attention, perhaps compared to her consistent performance as a singles artist. Since her arrival in 2005, she has tallied 12 number 1 songs on the “Billboard Hot 100” — tying her for the fourth-most of all time with Madonna and the Supremes. Only the Beatles (with 20), Mariah Carey (18) and Michael Jackson (13) have had more.